A Girl Worth Fighting For
by uncutetomboy
Summary: A character study of Mulan and her relationship/friendship with Chien-Po, Yao, and Ling. To them, Mulan is a girl worth fighting for. Please, R&R! Disclaimer : I don't own Mulan or its characters, they belong to Disney


_Authoress' Notes : Hi, everyone! This is my first time writing for Mulan, even though I've loved the movie ever since I was a little girl and it's tied for my favorite Disney movie with Beauty and the Beast. I got the urge to re-watch Mulan and its sequel and this idea rammed into me like a freight train, so I opened up a word document and started typing. The result is what you see here. : D_

_Please, read, review, and enjoy!_

_Summary : A character study of Mulan and her relationship/friendship with Chien-Po, Yao, and Ling. To them, Mulan is a girl worth fighting for. Please, R&R!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own Mulan, or any of its amazing characters - they are sole property of Disney and its affiliates. The original story of Mulan is property of the original : Hua Mulan. _

A Girl Worth Fighting For : Chien-Po's Musings

At first, it was thought that Ping was weak, and it turned out that Ping was the strongest of us all. Many of the men in camp felt that Ping was someone who would only be trouble in the long run - someone that would need to be told what to do and how to do it. He didn't have Yao's muscles, Ling's sense of worth, or my inner serenity. In short, Fa Ping was, at first glance, no worse than a woman in the eyes of most of the men in our camp because someone was always needing to help him during training, and he wasn't loud or boisterous; he was meek and quiet. Unfortunately, my friends used this to make Ping's life in camp less than pleasant, despite my misgivings - although, I will admit I did nothing to hinder them, or help Ping defend himself from them.

Then, Ping turned everyone's opinion of him around. Somehow, on the night he was told to go home after just two weeks of training in the camp, he managed to summon the inner strength and perseverance to get Captain Li's arrow out of the pillar in the middle of camp, even with the weights we were made to wear to get to it. He could have gone home - something that many of the men wished for, if it wasn't for the dishonor to our families such a thing would bring - and none in our unit would have thought less of him than we had already, but he chose to prove to himself and us that he was someone with a well of inner strength and someone we should want to know.

Until that point, everyone in camp had all but given up on anyone being able to get to it, let alone getting it out; this had the adverse effect of bringing moral and performance in camp down. However, when Ping completed the feat he did, it had the welcome result of bringing moral and performance up to where I sincerely believe we should have started with despite the fact we were all here out of obligation to our families and to China. Everyone began to think that anything was possible, that the Huns may be finally defeated; we were excelling in our training, with Ping becoming the person we all looked to to set the expectations. Ping never disappointed and was, arguably, the best of us in his training under Captain Li; I was quite pleased with my friends when both Yao and Ling offered Ping their proverbial hands in friendship, having realized their gross misjudgment of the small Soldier's heart and abilities. I was even more pleased when Ping not only accepted their friendship and mine, offering his in return, but also assisted us and brought joy to our lives that would otherwise be focused on bringing our families honor.

During the rest of our training, we became closer to Ping, but we were saddened that he still held us slightly apart from himself as though he didn't want us to know what was in his heart and soul; a rather prudent example is that, instead of joining us for bathing, Ping chose to bathe on nights that most of the other Soldiers in camp had other things to occupy their time. However, Ping was our friend and we - mistakenly, I will admit now - assumed that he was just shy because he was still one of the less muscular in the camp and so Yao, Ling, and I always stood guard on the path to camp, just outside the spring he liked to frequent, turning away anyone who came towards the spring with any intent. I, myself, was perplexed with Ping's behavior and my friends each had their theory about why Ping was so... shy.

Ling thought that Ping had grown up sheltered, in a house full of Geisha or perhaps in a teahouse - he felt Ping was very feminine and it wasn't until he was injured saving Captain Li that we found the real reason.

Yao had the idea that Ping felt inadequate when it came to his masculinity, especially compared to his own. Yao was not, by any means, shy of his body or of himself, so it confused him that Ping always found a reason to be somewhere else when he began to remove clothing or when myself or Ling did so. Ping would also always duck behind something, hiding, if someone were to walk in whilst he himself was changing.

How little did we know, at that time, that he was actually a **she**. Of course, Ping's personality - once one took the time to get to know him - was quite kind and, although Yao called me "soft" when I said this, sweet; much like a balm, soothing a burn or the sweet bread my mother made when I was just a boy. It was one we all - although, I will say that Yao, Ling, and myself were more so than the others in camp - were pulled into and formed around, much like rice in riceballs. Mm... It has been a while since I have enjoyed a good riceball...

When Ping was injured and collapsed, saving Captain Li, the three of us could do nothing after initially pulling them back from over the edge... except hope and pray that Ping would live - he was quite dear to our hearts as a friend. We knew something was wrong when the Doctor came out with a troubled look on his face and immediately summoned Captain Li to his side. The Captain's face went from pleased to stony at something the Doctor said to him, before he entered the tent housing Ping from our gaze. When the person within was dragged out by Chi Fu, I realized that the Ping we knew, despite our hopes and prayers, was dead to us, now; in place of Fa Ping, Fa Mulan was reborn. Looking at each other in saddened horror we realized that, while we assisted and helped Ping, we didn't do all we could - this resulted in his death. However, Mulan was still alive and we rushed forward when we realized this meant she was to be executed for her criminal dishonor. Where we failed Ping, we were determined to protect Mulan in his place. Unfortunately, Chi Fu's tone stopped us in our charge, along with several of our comrades stepping forward slightly to acknowledge our intentions. There was nothing we could do, but watch as Captain Li raised Ping's sword against Mulan; we were able to breath, once again, when he spared her life in repayment of her saving his and the resulting death of Fa Ping.

We realized that there was nothing we could do at this time to protect her, except to leave her as per the Captain's orders. We were collecting the remaining supplies, when Yao's attention was caught by her obvious distress. "Isn't there somethin' we can do? She won't survive out here..." Yao's dark gaze grew even darker as he glowered at the Captain's back, "He - **she **saved his life. Ping, or Mulan, or whoever she really is saved China!"

"I want to help her as much as you, Yao, but it's not like we can give her supplies or something -" Ling tried to explain.

That struck a cord with me and I suddenly smiled slightly, "My friends, that is exactly what we will do. What if we leave her some food? Surely, it is the gentlemanly thing to do."

They exchanged pleased, secretive looks as Yao's eyes lightened the slightest, "I don't know what you mean, Chien-Po. We can't possibly leave anything behind."

"Yeah, and besides, we're already down a basket of dumplings that toppled over the cliff!" Ling chimed in, discretely kicking a basket of dumplings behind a mound of snow where Mulan was certain to see it if she were to look up. If she doesn't, I'm quite certain her magnificent horse, Khan, will see that it is brought to her.

I chanced a glance over at her, my eyes connecting with that of Khan and an understanding passed between us; I knew that Khan would take care of his mistress as he huffed a whinny at us, hoofing the snow as his head dipped slightly in acknowledgement. Just then, Captain Li called over, "Ling, Yao, Pi - Chien-Po, move out. Now."

The three of us were still not wishing to leave Mulan, but knew we had no choice. The best way to protect her is to keep Chi Fu from speaking poisonous words about the beautiful warrior. As such, we obeyed and - gathering the few items we had salvaged from the avalanche - hurried to leave with our fellow soldiers as we left the true hero behind.

When we reached the Imperial City, everything happened far too quickly for most of it to make sense to us. Mulan had appeared shortly after we were made to join the parade to the Palace and tried to warn us that the Huns were still alive; she instructed Yao, Ling, and myself to keep an eye out. Even with her warning, we were caught off-guard by the Huns' appearance via the Chinese Dragon as they kidnapped the Emperor. Captain Li quickly put together a plan to break into the Palace that was dubious at best, but it was all we had at the moment. As such, I easily knocked over one of the statues surrounding the front gate of the Palace for us to attempt to barge through. When beautiful Mulan appeared and called for our attention, telling us she had an idea, we acknowledged that we had found that which we had always hoped for in who was born from - or whom had borne - our friend, Ping in a quickly exchanged glance between us three : Mulan was a girl worth fighting for. And fight for her - follow her, protect her - we shall.

When Mulan hurriedly explained her plan - for us to disguise ourselves as Concubines of the Emperor - we were reluctant but did as she asked. We would do whatever she asked, as she is truly a warrior worthy to be followed, and a woman worth listening to, and caring for. The four of us were assisted by several of the City's women, dressed in Kimonos of quality and - in my, Ling, and Yao's cases - our faces painted expertly. We were quite a sight to behold, if I were to comment myself. It's no wonder the women take pleasure in their exterior images - it's quite bolstering to the soul to take time in becoming a thing of beauty.

The Halls were deserted on our way through them. Ling and I had to hold back our laughter as Yao was slapped by Mulan when he asked her if his outfit made him look fat. We followed Mulan's lead and were able to get to the Emperor in time for his life to be saved. I didn't hesitate when she told me to get the Emperor and hurriedly complied with her request. Moments after the Emperor and I reached the ground, Yao came down the line with Ling right behind.

"Come on!" Yao called up to Mulan, all of us wanting her where we could protect her.

Her eyes were sad and not a little bit scared, just before she disappeared from our view and the line was cut. "Mulan!" Ling shouted in distress, knowing that Shan Yu was up there with her.

We hated the people of the City at that moment, as they cheered for the fact that Shan Yu could not follow their Emperor. No, instead he was up there with our Mulan, and the Captain.

"We must help her," I spoke gravely after several long moments of the three of standing helplessly, unable to move from our paralyzing fear for our friend.

"Let's go!" Yao agreed, taking charge. Forgetting about the Emperor now that he was safe, we hurried away to find some way of helping Mulan. We managed to get out of the crowd and headed to the grand staircase. On our way up it, our hearts stopped as she clambered onto the roof. "Don't be stupid, Pi - Mulan! Get off of there!" Yao's shout was hoarse and his eyes were fixated on her as her inky locks blew in the wind.

"What's she doing on the roof?!" Ling panicked, tripping on a stair.

Meanwhile, I silently prayed for her life - I had already lost one dear to me in this war, and did not wish to lose another, especially not this soon. Especially not her, as I did not think the three of us could move past finally finding that which we had looked for, only to have it torn away from us upon its discovery. Mulan - despite us knowing the truth of her for such a short time, and only having two days to come to terms with the change in our perception of our friend being female instead of male caused in our feelings for her - was already the seasoning on the bowls of rice that were our lives; without seasoning, the taste was dry and unappetizing. We were frozen, like the wasteland we were made to leave her in, as we watched her bravely stand against Shan Yu; she was quite a sight to behold as she creatively used her fan to relieve Shan Yu of his sword and pinned him to the roof with it. Our hearts began to beat once more, and we restarted our charge up the stairway as she leapt off the roof, using a lantern to escape the explosion as her enemy was set off with the fireworks.

We spotted her as she picked herself up alongside Captain Li. The overwhelming joy in our hearts could not be contained as we hurried to her side as the Captain released her hand, having been helping her to her feet; Yao was the first to reach her, crushing her to himself in a hug, and her smile was beautiful in its simple happiness as she embraced him in return. "I'm alright, Yao. It's all over - Shan Yu's dead."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't worried -" he tried to cover up, only to stop as she kissed his cheek. A pleased grin appeared on his face, causing me to smile and Ling to pout.

"Thank you, for worrying and for believing in me," she praised, looking at him, Ling, the Captain, and myself in return. "All of you. I'm lucky to have friends like you," she laughed as Ling took his turn and hugged her to him tightly.

"You're the hero of China, and our friend, Mulan! Of course we're gonna follow you - just don't expect us to go jumping off any roofs any time soon, okay? I don't think any of us would look like an Angel like you did, even as pretty as we look now," Ling's eyes were wide, recalling how she shone as she leapt off the roof. A goofy grin sprouted on his face as she pecked his cheek gently before turning to me, expectant.

"You are, indeed, a true hero, Mulan," I beamed, gathering her to me in an encompassing embrace as I lifted her off the ground. "And a beloved friend. To us, you are someone worth fighting for and someone we will gladly follow." She blushed pink, pleased as I placed what I knew most would assume to be a sibling-like kiss on her forehead but meant so much more before I replaced her feet on the ground.

The doors to the Palace burst open not even two moments later and Chi Fu, his cap in tatters and smoking, came storming out, shouting accusations about Mulan deliberately trying to kill him. Without needing to think about it, I placed my hands on Mulan's shoulders, gently steering her so she was behind myself, Ling, and Yao as the three of us backed up with her, even as Captain Li stepped forward to intercept him; Yao threw his right arm out, cupping her hip lightly as he used it to assist me in turning her and Ling positioned himself in front of the three of us. I do not often speak ill of someone, but Chi Fu was a distasteful person, and this was proven as he proclaimed that Mulan - calling her "creature" - was not worth protecting. Yao growled, Ling's eyes narrowed, and I concentrated on breathing deeply as I tried to hold onto my inner serenity and not allow the anger of her being verbally attacked so soon after she was physically attacked. Mulan was, perhaps, the one worth protecting most; certainly, she was most worthy of us protecting her as she had given us so much, even if she and no one else but the three of us knew this.

When Captain Li replied that she was a hero, Chi Fu further proved himself unappealing as he spat that she was a woman. "Go for it, Pretty Boy," Yao murmured under his breath as Captain Li grabbed Chi Fu by the front of his robes threateningly.

We exchanged a worried look, as the Emperor made his appearance; he was one person we knew we could not protect Mulan from, despite how much we wished to. As such, when he gestured for us to move aside and reveal our friend, we did so with great reluctance and trepidation, bowing to him in difference. As the Emperor began speaking, and a smirk grew on Chi Fu's face, Yao's fists clenched, Ling's painted lips pursed and his eyes sharpened, Captain Li's eyes widened, and I placed my hand comfortingly on Yao's shoulder; I trusted he would not do anything foolish, such as attack the Emperor, but I knew touch helped calm my friend. As the Emperor began listing Mulan's crimes in a stern tone, we began to feel true fear and tensed up, our own eyes widened as the gravity of the situation she was in settled into our souls.

When the Emperor bowed to Mulan, signifying her status as being above him, we were relieved and the three of us - meaning myself, Yao, and Ling - allowed ourselves a moment of amused pleasure as Chi Fu threw himself on the ground at her feet, kow-towing to her. Pleased and proud of the honor bestowed upon her, the four of us, including Captain Li, bowed happily to the bewildered Mulan before we lowered ourselves to the ground and gave her the respect she deserved. After several long moments of this, with the maiden warrior pleasingly bewildered as she spun around, confused, the Emperor straightened himself and continued on, offering Mulan a position on his Council; our smiles widened when Chi Fu fainted at Mulan being informed she could have his position.

Mulan explained she felt she had been away from home long enough, and the Emperor bestowed his crest and Shan Yu's sword upon her to bring her family honor. She threw her arms around him in a hug and Yao asked, puzzled, "Is she allowed to do that?" Ling, Captain Li, and myself could only beam and shrug.

She released him and turned to us, Ling and Yao both embracing her warmly before I came up and took the three of my friends into my arms. Yao began tearing up, happy for Mulan and at the same time knowing that he couldn't have her - we, even when Mulan was Ping, were aware of the budding feelings she had for Captain Li. It was made more obvious by their awkward interaction as Ling let out a quiet snort of laughter when the Captain informed her she fought well. Even I had to allow myself a soft chuckle before we watched her mount Khan and ride away, leaping down the stairs expertly.

Yao, Ling, and myself exchanged smiles, knowing we had found a girl worth fighting for, and fight for her - fight beside her - we would.

_Authoress' Notes : I'm actually quite pleased with the finished product, especially because this was my first time writing in first person point of view and also my first time doing a character study of someone. Additionally pleasing is I was able to plug a few plot-holes that bothered me with the first movie (i.e. the dumplings; if she was basically left to die, where did they come from?!) I, personally, think - and you're more than welcome to disagree with me about it - that The Trio (Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po) are all __**at least **__a __**little bit **__in love with Mulan. As much as I love Ting-Ting, Mei, and Su, I feel that the attraction between the Princesses and the Trio is superficial and more about the surface of things while the attraction and relationship-base (whether it's romantic or platonic in your mind) is more about what's underneath and equality between the Trio and Mulan._

_I may expand on this in future, I'm not sure. It really depends on the response I get about it, hence why I didn't put "End" up there. I would love to know what your thoughts on this is - even if it's to tell me it's crap, so long as you tell me why it's crap. _

_I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading! _

_Please, Read and Review; the more reviews and opinions a Writer gets, the faster and more they're spurred to write! I - as always - accept all reviews (except ones with swearing as the Default Profanity Filter is active) : Comment, Compliment, Constructive Criticism and Red-hot Flames~! : 3_

_You're someone worth writing for,_

_Lor a.k.a. uncutetomboy_


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